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Will leans against his bedroom’s door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. “Jane? Didn’t you go shopping with Max last week?”
His adopted sister holds up his white dress shirt, the one with pink stripes. “Yeah, but this is the perfect shirt. And besides, Dustin said this was a ‘date’ which means I need to dress my best.”
Will has known Dustin for longer than Jane has, and he knows that the guy isn’t exactly into dressing up for formal occasions, much less when going to a movie. At their sophomore year homecoming dance, Dustin wore a t-shirt with a tuxedo graphic design. Bro is one of the least formal people Will knows.
“Alright, fair,” Will shrugs. “Also, I’m pretty sure I grew out of that shirt, so you can keep it if you want.”
Jane gasps in delight, stars in her eyes. “Oh-em-gee, really?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“I love you so much,” she enthuses as she gives her brother a big hug. “Okay, I’m gonna put on my outfit now,” she says. “Jonathan’s gonna be home soon, right? I want everybody’s opinions before Dustin gets here.”
“I’ll message him,” Will says, moving to get his phone as Jane exits the room to get changed in her own bedroom.
Jane isn’t sure if she should wear the new-to-her pink skirt that her best friend Max got her when they were out thrift shopping last week, or the white overall dress that her mom got her, to accessorize with a pink belt. She considers it based on the question: what would Barbie wear? Jane isn’t sure, though; she didn’t really get to play with Barbie dolls as a kid.
She finally decides to go with the pink skirt, on the basis that the white dress would probably be harder to clean if it gets a stain on it.
Jane gets herself dressed and accessorized, then goes to her mom’s bathroom and sprays herself with perfume. She looks in the mirror and smiles. This date is going to be awesome.
When she walks out into the hallway, Jane is met by her whole family- including Jonathan, who looks like he just got home- waiting for her in the living room; Will must have told them that she wanted to put on a one-person fashion show.
Joyce practically coos over how adorable her daughter looks. “Oh, Hop, look at her.”
Jane’s dad gets a little misty-eyed. “Finally dating someone other than that Wheeler kid,” he says, wiping away a tear. “I’ve never been more proud.”
A look is shared between Will- who’s currently dating aforementioned Wheeler kid- and Jonathan, who’s dating the Wheeler kid’s older sister; they both stifle their laughter.
The doorbell rings and Jane excitedly claps her hands together. Hopper follows her to the door and together they greet Dustin.
“You have your cellphone with you?” her dad asks.
She pats her pocket to double-check. “Yep!”
“Alright.” Her dad looks at Dustin, then back at her. “You two have fun.”
“We will!”
Jane and Dustin make their way down the driveway to where Dustin’s car is parked. It’s his mom’s car, technically, but he can drive now as of getting his license last week, which is really exciting.
“Hey,” Dustin remarks, “is that Will’s shirt?”
“Yeah.” Jane looks down at her shirt, then back at Dustin, feeling self-conscious. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”
“No, I mean-” Dustin shrugs- “you look way better in it,” he grins, opening the passenger door of his car. He gallantly gestures for El to enter.
Jane laughs in relief, ducking her head as she gets into the passenger seat.
Dustin hops in to the driver’s seat and gives her a quick peck on the cheek before buckling his seatbelt. “You really do look beautiful,” he murmurs, getting the car started. “Well, you always look beautiful, but like— today, especially.” His hand bumps against hers, and she interlocks her fingers with his.
Jane tilts her head with a smile. “You look handsome too,” she says, “even though you didn’t dress up.” Her dark eyes sparkling playfully, it’s clear that she’s only teasing.
Dustin squeezes her hand affectionately. “Maybe for our next date, we can have dinner at a fancy restaurant,” he suggests.
Jane grins at the prospect of another date with Dustin. Dating him is so much fun.